The Lottery is a feature-length documentary that explores the struggles and dreams of four families from Harlem and the Bronx in the months leading up to the lottery for Harlem Success Academy, one of the most successful schools in New York. The four families cast their lots in a high-stakes draw, where only a small minority of children emerges with a chance at a better future. The vast majority of hopefuls will be turned away. Directed by Madeleine Sackler and shot by award-winning cinematographer Wolfgang Held (Bruno, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Children Underground), The Lottery delves into the ferocious debate surrounding the education reform movement. Interviews with politicians and educators explain not only the crisis in public education, but also why it is fixable. The Lottery interlaces the families\' stories with the emotional and highly politicized battle over the future of American education. A call to action to avert a catastrophe in the education of American children, The Lottery makes the case that any child can succeed.

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The Lottery: Obama

(2010)
0:54 min

The Lottery is a feature-length documentary that explores the struggles and dreams of four families from Harlem and the Bronx in the months leading up to the lottery for Harlem Success Academy, one of the most successful schools in New York. The four families cast their lots in a high-stakes draw, where only a small minority of children emerges with a chance at a better future. The vast majority of hopefuls will be turned away. Directed by Madeleine Sackler and shot by award-winning cinematographer Wolfgang Held (Bruno, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Children Underground), The Lottery delves into the ferocious debate surrounding the education reform movement. Interviews with politicians and educators explain not only the crisis in public education, but also why it is fixable. The Lottery interlaces the families' stories with the emotional and highly politicized battle over the future of American education. A call to action to avert a catastrophe in the education of American children, The Lottery makes the case that any child can succeed.